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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Wedding Day Duties for the Best Man

Wedding Day Duties

In addition to the speech, there are a few other duties expected of the best man on the wedding day. Preparation is key, so you can enjoy the day as much as everyone else.

Getting the Groom there, on time
Your responsibilities start with getting the groom to the church, registry office, etc. on time and ready for the service. Have a plan of how you are travelling to the venue and allow plenty of time to get there. Also have a couple of back-up plans (e.g. taxi numbers), a fully charged mobile phone, and plenty of cash. Aim to be there early, about half an hour before the service starts, to greet the guests as they arrive.

The Service and the Rings
If you and the groom are at the wedding venue early and you have the rings safety in your pocket, then there is not much else you need to worry about for this part of the day. Now is the groom's time to sweat! The person taking the ceremony will tell you where you need to be and when. A tip for keeping the rings safe is to place them both on your little finger until you take your place for the service. It is difficult to trust those small waistcoat pockets.

General Administration
Generally the bride and her mother would have done most of the organisation for the day, but you will still be expected to do some of the administration on the day. This will mostly be directing the guests to where and when they need to be in certain places. If you are the quiet type there is no need to be worried about this as most guests expect information from the best man and ushers. You may also be entrusted to settle some of the payments such as the church fees, so find out in advance.

Presents and Cards
One of the best man's responsibilities is to accept wedding presents and cards from the guest throughout the day. If you do not have somewhere to put them this can become annoying, especially as you have other things to be concerned with, like the ceremony or your big speech. A solution is to designate a table at the reception for all the presents and request that the guest keep hold of their gifts and deposit them there.

Dealing with any Problems
As best man, you are the main trouble-shooter should anything arise. It is the bride and grooms day so they should not be expected to worry themselves with any problems. It will be down to you, the ushers, and maybe the parents to enlist the venue's staff in finding a solution. Don't panic, most things are easily sorted out, and try to delegate as much as possible to the venue's staff so you can concentrate on your other responsibilities.

The Speech
This is the big one for the best man. You are expected to entertain the guest with a witty speech! Please refer to the several articles on this website for help with the big speech. If doing a speech isn't enough you may be asked to act as the master of ceremonies as well. Check this out beforehand.

Other Duites
It is likely that your role will mean you are expected to do a lot of other things, e.g. first dance with the chief bridesmaid. It is best to arrange some time with the bride-to-be (grooms only tend to know the time and place!) to find out the plans and expectation for the day.